The carriage went out at the gate, and passed into Amaliegade. The houses were plain and substantial, without much ornament. They were of brick, but most of them were covered with stucco.
“What’s this?” asked Paul, as the carriage entered an open space, with an equestrian statue in the centre.
“Frederiksplads,” replied the doctor; “and that is the statue of Frederik V., who came to the throne in 1746, and in whose reign this palace was erected.”
The place was an octagon, surrounded on all sides by public buildings.
“This is the residence of the king on the left. On the other side is the palace of the crown prince. There is the foreign office, and on the other side lives the queen dowager.”
“They are not very elegant buildings,” said Captain Lincoln.
“No; there are no very fine buildings in Copenhagen, though the Exchange is a very curious structure, and some are very large and unwieldy. There’s the Casino,” added the doctor.
“What’s a casino?” inquired the captain.
“Here it is a building for dancing, concerts, theatrical performances, and similar amusements in the winter season. Everything is cheap here, and the price of admission to the Casino, where one joins the dance or sees a play, is two or three marks.”
“How much is that? I haven’t looked up the money yet,” said Paul.